Scary Thought
Awhile back Karin Kirchoff at Defenders of Wildlife sent us an email commenting on Boomers in relation to an apparently shrinking donor universe. She mused:
"I remember many years ago (like 15 years ago) sitting in on a session at a conference led by an expert in psychographic marketing who was reporting out on the Yankelovich study on generational marketing. He went through comparison after comparison on the ways in which the Matures differed from Boomers (and how they both differed from Gen Xers – Gen Yers didn’t really exist yet).
"At any rate, I recall thinking – uh-oh… what is going to happen when Boomers hit ‘the giving age’ and don’t act like their parents did. And, I can’t help but think that is a big part of what is going on now. As an industry, we haven’t figured out how to talk to the less patient, more selfish Boomers (apologies to Boomers as these sound like negative traits!). Layer on top of that the economic collapse and less than stellar planning for retirement among this generation and we have a challenge."
The oldest Boomers, born in 1946 are now 64.
I share Karin’s concern. The image that comes to mind is a bunch of surfers paddling about in calm seas, anxiously waiting for the big waves to come in.
What do you think? Will they?
Tom
P.S. The Agitator has looked pretty closely at Boomers vs Seniors (and Post-Boomers) giving attitudes. Check out our two white papers on Generational Giving.
3 responses to “Scary Thought”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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Perhaps the issue is less about the messages we use, and more about the medium. If these boomers are in adrift at sea, they will likely figure out which way to go by googling and researching the answer on a smartphone. Chances are, the latest piece of direct mail had trouble finding them (it did make it to their parents house though).
There are more than 78 million Boomers. To keep your analogy going, it’s a big wave made up of countless unique drops of water.
Baby Boomers are different – different from the cohort that preceded them (the so-called Silent Generation). There’s great variety within the cohort. One size does not fit all … but your readers know that already.
If you hope to paddle out and meet the boomers, be sure you really understand them. When we run generational marketing workshops for organizations, we challenge stereotypes like the ones Karin (apologetically) shared. Are they less patient, or do they have a strong sense of urgency? That urgency could be a positive! Are they really selfish? This is a generation well-known for good works.
Karen is right, it’s past time to learn how to talk to (market to) Baby Boomers … if you’re going to catch that wave.
As a Boomer who does a little fundraising work as Treasurer of a small national organization and who is financially anxious and hurrying to catch up with saving for retirement, I think the best strategy with Boomers for fundraising is long term via planned giving. In other words, after we’re dead, we’ll be extremely generous. There are probably other psychographics for short-term now fundraising. Adding the long term strategy with Boomers to other outreach could be a winning strategy in the future, building momentum through the years as the Boomer generation passes on.[
Sorry not to have a more cheerful strategy to suggest!